Who’s got two thumbs and is technologically impaired???

Yes, I’m that person: the “lagger” (I give myself kudos for using terms learnt in my health care management class, which I’m taking right now, but that’s about all the kudos I deserve). I’m so slow in adopting new technology (in this case, new blogging environment and tools) that I had created a blog just for myself. Not because I didn’t want to mingle with the rest of the global students, but because I couldn’t find them in the wordpress maze! But, waking up 2 hours before my normal schedule paid off this morning: I figured it out!

Now that I’m here, I’ll catch you up with what I had written last month. I’ll come back later and update you on my life this month, but I’ll give you a small preview now: thesis+ 3-weeks long advanced courses= no sleep. Am I not fun?!?

Ok, so those of you who know a bit about the weather in Stockholm at this time of the year, will rightly think that there’s no way that I have spent my last weekend in a tent. Well, that’s right: I didn’t . What I did do is participate in the Introduction Camp organised by the student union (more exactly by the public health section) for the 1st year students of the PH masters. So, I was inside, enjoying the warmth inside MF’s (that’s the name of the student union) sports cabin, and enjoying a very picturesque view:

Some of my friends have taken on the daunting task of organising this camp, and, even though I felt I barely had time to breathe these past two weeks, I tagged along and helped them out during the weekend. Turns out, it was good to take some time off. This next photo shows the maximum amount of exercise for me in the last two weeks (searching the literature in preparation for my master thesis meant I had to…sit a lot).

In typical Swedish fashion, this cabin was not luxurious. The toilet was outside, and there were no showers. Also, no internet…well, with the exception of the moments when I begged my friends for their Internet (=distraction)-carrying USB keys But, in my defense, this didn’t happen too often, and I managed to enjoy meeting the new students, having fun with them, while also sharing some experiences regarding my studies. It turns out, some aspects of the programme that had us complaining last year have been improved. Others have not, but I have the impression that the proof of change I saw was a good sign. Also, it felt good to share with the new kids (I think some of them are actually older than me, but I have the advantage of more experience, and I like to rub it in ) that, all in all, I was satisfied with my masters studies, and that I was happy to have taken this path.

Now, I hope that some of you reading this blog will be the new “kids” next year, that they will be able to participate in the Introduction Camp 2013, and also that they will get told as well that the programme is getting better. After all, what can we hope for other than constant improvement??

Thanks for the encouragement, blogging is easy to overlook among the more urgent day-to-day tasks, but taking the opportunity for reflection that they offer is always rewarding! I just now realised that the track I’m in is not mentioned, thanks for the suggestion!